Turkish Delight Brittle

I've made proper Turkish Delight once before (with a Rachel Allen recipe) and though it was a bit of a faff, it was definitely worth making as an edible, homemade (and therefore a bit more special) gift for someone who you know likes it. 

I made it for my dad as a birthday present a few years ago (he was always fond of the perhaps less authentic chocolate-covered Fry's / Cadbury version) and here I am going for the same vibe for Father's Day.

But I wanted to make something much more straightforward (just a little something to stick in the post) and for some reason I've had a hankering for making peanut brittle, so I thought I'd try and combine the two. I've adapted a recipe by Nigella and she has, incidentally, a recipe for Turkish Delight syllabub if you wanted another twist.

Though part of the point of Turkish Delight is its teeth-sticking chewiness, this sweet nut brittle still gives the sugar hit - with a little chew - and the pistachios, trapped like insects in amber, are a nod to the nuts you get in some Turkish Delight. The rosewater (a big bottle of which I bought in the ethnic food section from Sainsbury's for £1) evokes a taste of the bazaar - or of fur coats in snow-covered Narnia.

Turkish Delight Brittle

250g caster sugar | 125ml water | 1/4 tsp cream of tartar | good splash of rosewater | 100g roughly-chopped pistachios

Put a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray or board.

Melt the sugar, water and cream of tartar together in a large pan then bring to a bubble (you can swirl the pan but shouldn't stir the mixture or it can go lumpy).

Cook for around 10 minutes until the mixture is a dark amber.

Add the rosewater (how much you use will depend on its strength) and allow the mixture to settle down before adding the pistachios. Quickly swirl the pan to coat the nuts in the caramel and pour onto the parchment paper. 

Let the shiny disc cool completely before breaking into shards, eating as it is, with coffee, or smashed up over vanilla ice cream.

"The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable."

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 

C.S. Lewis